Revolutions (Civ7)

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Revolutions is one of the possible Crises that can occur during the Exploration Age in Civilization VII and its expansions. Its theme centers on the bourgeois revolutions of the early modern period — a series of uprisings that reshaped society by challenging feudal hierarchies, empowering the merchant class, and giving rise to modern ideologies and nation-states.

Theme[]

The Revolutions Crisis revolves around the growing divide between social classes. As tensions rise, players must decide which class to prioritize by slotting in Crisis Policies that represent different factions. Each Crisis Policy initially aims to disrupt your economy by reducing various yields, but this Crisis also introduces the largest pool of available Crisis Policies while demanding the lowest number to be slotted.

This makes the Revolution Crisis one of the most flexible and forgiving Crises. Players can selectively choose Crisis Policies that align with their current strategy, avoiding serious disruption. As the Crisis progresses through its stages, the situation remains manageable — until the final stage, where class struggle peaks and a revolution forces players to abandon their current Government.

At this point, players must choose one of three revolutionary Governments, each offering significantly stronger bonuses than standard Governments. Additionally, choosing a revolutionary Government immediately triggers a Celebration, allowing players to benefit from its bonuses on the very same turn. This enables sudden, powerful shifts in momentum that can dramatically alter the course of the game.

However, revolutions come at a cost — not all Citizens will welcome the new regime. For each revolution selected, a group of affected Settlements — which may include Cities, Towns, or distant Settlements — will suffer the following consequences:

Major Happiness penalties
Two Buildings and/or Tile Improvements damaged per affected Settlement

Fortunately, these Settlements do not enter Unrest, and players can repair Buildings and Improvements immediately.

As such, two key factors influence which revolutionary path to choose:

Strategic Fit – If you're in a strong position (e.g. high Gold reserves and stable Happiness), you can afford the penalties and should choose the revolution that offers the best long-term strategic benefits, enabling a final snowball push or a dramatic comeback.
Damage Mitigation – If your empire is already unstable, it may be wiser to select the revolution that affects the fewest or least valuable Settlements, minimizing further instability and preserving your position as the Age ends.

This Crisis stands out for its dual-edged nature, offering both serious drawbacks and massive potential gains. It can shift the balance of power right before the end of the Age — turning the tide or sealing a dominant lead.

Crisis flow[]

Revolutions
Phase 1 — The Bourgeoisie
The world has contracted. New shipping lanes bring goods once unknown to markets — and along with them the desire for more. One's importance in this new world is built upon what one can buy, and not who one's father was — money is a great leveler, and feudal lords now find themselves waiting upon the whims of merchants without land or title, but with the cash — and influence — of a duke. Manufacturing and mercantile areas of the city grow increasingly wealthy as a result, but as they do so, they demand more and more attention, goods — and rights.
Continue the crisis	+1 Crisis Policy slot. Unlocks 4 Crisis Policies.
Crisis Policies
Impoverished Nobility	+1 Gold maintenance for Military Units.
Nouveau Riche	+50% Food and Happiness maintenance for Specialists.
Religious Tax Exemptions	-2 Gold per displayed Relic.
Tax Farming	-50% Gold in Towns.
Phase 2 — The New Elite
The shipping magnate, the factory owner, the burgher, and the landlord in distant colonies — these individuals have no royal title. But as the world craves trade, it is these fortunes that rise. A contradiction is born: those with political power and military power have less and less financial power. To right these scales and re-assert the proper order of things, new restrictions are placed upon the merchants — new taxes and limitations on the flow of trade. Religious leaders are co-opted into this as well — the economic order must be on Earth as it is in Heaven. In the guildhall, in the university, in the bazaar, angry voices seethe: what right does the old aristocracy have over what seems to be the natural order of things?
Continue the crisis	+1 Crisis Policy slot. Unlocks 4 Crisis Policies.
Crisis Policies
Gendaremerie	-4 Happiness in each Settlement without a garrison.
Oppressive Tariffs	-1 Gold per Specialist.
Strict Censorship	-10 Culture and -10 Science in Cities.
Weak Bureaucracy	-8 Influence.
Phase 3 — Into The Fire
The old regime is broken, its pieces trampled by revolutionaries as they rais a new flag to their self-made future. Yet this triumph is only the start of the journey. There is still fury in the populace, and fear — will this new government truly achieve its ambitious promises? Politicians and local leaders confront these uncertainties head on, charting a path from chaos to peace. Reforging a nation is no simple task, but guided by the light of their revolutionary dream, the victors earnestly begin to manifest its reality.
Long live the Monarchy!	Become a Constitutional Monarchy and start a Celebration. -10 Happiness in all Cities. Unlocks Constitutional Monarchy Government. Unlocks 3 Crisis Policies.
Long live the Republic!	Become a Revolutionary Republic and start a Celebration. -10 Happiness in all Towns. Unlocks Revolutionary Republic Government. Unlocks 3 Crisis Policies.
Long live the Dictatorship!	Become an Authoritarian State and start a Celebration. -10 Happiness in all Settlements in distant lands. Unlocks Revolutionary Authoritarianism Government. Unlocks 3 Crisis Policies.
Crisis Policies
Conscription Riots	-10 Happiness in all Cities while it War.
Purged Officer Corp	-6 Combat Strength on all Military Units.
Revolutionary Tribunal	-2 Settlement Limit.
The end — From The Ashes
The ashes have cooled, and a new order has taken shape, one that claims to be the realization of natural law. Empires had long been defined via the claims of noble families and the contours of religious faith. But these have given way to those on an imagined community of folk — and the harsh realities of commerce. The revolution has not happened in the same way everywhere. In some places, a new, rationalized monarchy emerges — but one based around a revolutionary idea: an individual is the embodiment of a people, not its owner. In other places, the people advocate for their own representation on some kind of deliberative body. In still others, a demagogue has awoken the desire for freedom and chained it to a personal quest for power. The world is born anew, and, for the first time, claims to be the full and complete realization of what should be.
The Age of Exploration is ending.	Who will carry our legacy?

Legacies[]

Legacy Bonus	Requirement	Legacy point cost	Effect
National Guard	Have at least a combination of 8 War Support in all Wars.	2 Militaristic	Reduce the Happiness penalty from war weariness by -50%. +3 Combat Strength to Units in friendly territory.
Reactionary Absolutism	Have a Scientific Dark Age.	1 Expansionist	-2 Specialist Limit. +2 Happiness in Towns but -6 in Cities. +3 Food and +3 Production on Rural tiles.
The Stately Quadrille	Have at least 1 Alliance and 10 Diplomatic Actions active.	2 Cultural	Reduce the relationship penalty from breaking an Alliance by -50%. Increase positive relationship gains from Diplomatic Actions by +50%.